THEY left their home of 30 years to be closer to their daughter in Bidford after she was hospitalised with Crohn's Disease.

Six months later Susan and James Love say they may as well be on the moon as they wait for a phone connection.

The couple had hoped to be just a phone call and a few minutes away from their daughter and grandchildren in case of an emergency.

But they are still waiting for the phone line and internet connection and get little to no phone signal in their new home in Aldington, near Badsey.

"It's left us extremely distressed because of the inability to get to out daughter when she is unwell," said Mrs Love, of Mill Lane.

"That was the whole point of us living here."

The couple moved from their home of 30 years in Balsall Green, near Solihull, in January.

They made the decision after their daughter, who is a single mum with two young children, was hospitalised last year.

"Crohn's is pretty nasty," said Mrs Love. "She's on immune suppressant drugs and picks up every infection going.

"Knowing that she is struggling on when we are only ten minutes away is awful. We have moved over here and we may as well be on the moon."

And not being able to get on with his work is a major problem for Mr Love, who is having to leave the house to make calls and send emails, despite suffering with a hip problem and tinnitus. He is also setting up a new business with his daughter, which is crucial to give her some income.

The problems began when they first moved in.

The couple booked an appointment through their telephone provider Zen Internet for Openreach, BT, - the only organisation that can lay the telephone cables - to connect their phone but no one turned up. And they are still waiting.

Their cause has been taken up by Sir Peter Luff, MP for Mid Worcestershire, who has been contacting the companies, but to no avail.

He said: "The delays being experienced by this family would be unacceptable in any circumstances, but given the particular needs of this family, they are truly shocking."

The companies said they hope to sort the problem by tomorrow (Friday, July 18).

Zen Internet said the order was originally effected by BT Engineer resourcing issues due to severe weather. It was then hampered by routing issues and a requirement for planning permission.

They added the installation was being dealt with at the highest level of escalation.

A spokesperson from Openreach said: "This is a complex case. Work to provide service at this new property has been delayed due to a number of unforeseen factors. Extensive engineering work is required in order to connect the property, which should be completed at the end of this week. Openreach apologies for the unforeseeable delays."